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I've done this dozens of times with Geo-Tiffs exported from ArcMap using orthophotos, USGS quads, tax map shapefiles, survey maps, CAD drawings, etc.

File--export map--(save as type=Tiff).  Make sure the "write world file" box is checked and JPG compression is used.  Download free "G-Raster".  Load the exported Tiff into G-Raster, choose some rescale options before export to minimize file size and tile numbers.  Drag the G-Raster export onto your 62's memory.  Very quick and easy to do.

Scott

My 550 also locks up sometimes, mostly when the camera is being used and I try to pan too fast to take another photo.  It also seems to happen more often when the battery level is on the low side.  It might be voltage-related, as the camera function on the 550 also uses significant battery power.  I always run the rechargeables in it and am using the latest beta firmware as well.

Scott

I would recommend the 450 and use the 24k topos on this site.  If you find that they don't suit your needs (which I'm sure they will) then you can just get a micro SD with the Garmin topos on it and you won't be spending any more than if you purchased the 450t to begin with.  The free topos are very easy to upload.

I've got the 550 (non-T), loaded it with the topos from this site, and used the $100 I saved on topos to buy a City Navigator SD card, effectively turning the Oregon into a NUVI for highway navigation as well.  I would also recommend a factory refurbished unit to save even more $$.  I bought my 550 for $299 last year.

Scott

I always wondered why the Oregon never had the option to create a custom message on startup, like my old GPSmap60 did, so I could put my contact info on there in case of loss.  Today I finally stumbled upon it.  There's a 1kb text file on the internal memory (in the Garmin folder) that lets you customize a message and control the amount of time it is displayed upon initial startup.

Scott

[DO]

Boyd:

I also use GlobalMapper 12, as well as ArcMap 10.0 and Terrain Navigator, but most people don't have access to this expensive software.  Most of the time G-raster is all I need after exporting or obtaining a geotiff.  The free version does everything you would need it to, other than some cropping features.  You DO need a referenced map, however.

I'll probably contribute the $5 anyway because the software is ideal for custom maps and does a perfect job - I would recommend it even if you are using GlobalMapper.  There are also web links to free sources of raster imagery on the G-Raster interface.

Scott

A fairly simple project.  All you need to do is geo-reference the raster maps using either software or an online solution such as http://labs.metacarta.com/rectifier/ .  FreeGeographyTools has some other options as well.  After you do this then upload the referenced images (one at a time) into G-Raster (freeware download and very simple to use) to convert it into KMZ and drag the KMZ into your Garmin CustomMaps folder.  Garmin limits KMZ tiles to 100 total so use the re-scale option in G-Raster and pay attention to the number of tiles that each KMZ contains.  I usually put a numerical suffix after each of my custom KMZ's so I know how many tiles are in there.

Scott

I've been using 4.45 for the past few weeks on my 550 with no problems.

Scott

Maybe indepth, but it's the process to follow if you want a relatively accurate deed plot on a Garmin.  I've done it dozens of times to get pre-survey 'recon' maps with an aerial photo base into my 550.  It's not that complex but does require some software that can be costly.  I usually plot the deed as I've described and rotate it onto an orthophoto, then add some waypoints at the property corners.  The waypoints transfer to the Oregon through a GPX file output from DNR Garmin software.

I recommend downloading G-Raster (freeware) if you would like to start getting some imagery onto your Oregon.  It has links in the menu for free raster sources.

Again, if you can find the two endpoints of the line you want to follow then you'd be better off.

With the proper software this is an easy task.  I don't know what you have available.  Personally, I would use a custom map for this - with an aerial photo base if you want one.  Most states have GIS repositories and free high-res orthophotos. 

Assuming you only have one end of the line - I would first gather as many property line points as you can with your 450 (around the parcel perimeter), using the waypoint averaging fuction and preferably over an extended period of time.  Import these points into GIS (ie, ArcMap, GlobalMapper, or a freeware alternative) on top of your aerial basemap. 

Next plot the deed in GIS (assuming it has a metes and bounds description) and then rotate/translate the plot onto your waypoints as best you can.  Now export a geotiff image and upload that into G-Raster freeware.  Export the KMZ from G-raster and drag it into the 450's CustomMap folder.

You could go through the process above in CAD, but the procedure for importing points and exporting/converting a map is a bit more complex.  CAD has limited raster export options.

If you are projecting with your 450 from a single known waypoint (an iron pipe or rod) be careful using deed bearings.  They are relative to the year they were recorded and can vary significantly from the current bearing of a line.  If you could actually locate the other end of the property line you would not need to go through the process above - you could inverse between the 2 waypoints and get the real-world bearing.

Scott

The .gdb file extension refers to an ArcGIS "geodatabase".  You will need ArcMap software to access the information contained in it.  After extracting/exporting the shapefiles from the database it would only be a matter of following the tutorials on this site to make your own img format map.

The .gdb format has not been released by ESRI (no other software can open it), but if you post your file here (or link to it), then either myself or someone else here with access to ArcMap can extract the data you require.

Scott

I wasn't familiar with those WhereIgo utilities.  Thanks for the heads-up on those; I just picked up both of them.  Are there any more that are utility-oriented instead of game-oriented?

Scott

After setting the two waypoints on the map:

WhereTo--->Target Button ('search near' routine)--->A Waypoint>Select your start point (buddy's location).  You now get returned to the WhereTo menu.

Now select Waypoints--->Select your ending point (road intersection).

You now get a map with the bar at the top of the page. The bar will have the distance and bearing from your buddy to the road, or alternatively it will show up in the list of waypoints in the previous step as being near the first waypoint, and you'll see a bearing and distance there.

That's the only way I've found to get a bearing and distance between two points when one of them is not your current location.   


Scott

"You may only have one custom map on the whole device" is not entirely accurate, as you can have as many custom maps as you want, up to the 100 tile limit.  They are recognized by only one tab in the Oregon, however, so they turn on and off together.  They don't have to be adjacent, or be of the same type (contour map, aerial map, scanned paper map).  An SD card will have its own "CustomMaps" folder, but the unit will read both the SD folder and the internal folder together and still group all maps into the same tab.

Scott

G-Raster is what I use most often for quickly getting referenced tiff's into KMZ format for the Oregon.  If you need download sources there's a link on G-Raster's menu to free raster downloads.  If you register the program for $5 you will gain access to the "map cropper" tool so you can cut down on the number of tiles going into the Oregon (limited to 100 total).  There's also an option for rescaling to further reduce the number of tiles.

Scott

Attached are the campsites extracted from the KMZ file, as an example.  This took about 20 minutes, as there is no way to batch rename the waypoints but you can cut/paste a label quite fast.  The freeware DOES pick up descriptions (number of tent sites, fire rings, etc.) that can be accessed on the Oregon, but there is a bunch of extra HTML formatting tags that are not recognized by the GPS.  For the purposes of the attached example I just deleted all of that info, but it could be left as-is. 

The waypoint symbols can be batch-changed in BaseCamp by multiple-selecting (shift and left click), then clicking 'properties', then changing the symbol to something more desirable than the default blue flag.


Scott